then and Mother won't leave Father so long alone. It is only a few days
anyhow. It's a pity Hella's gone already, she left early this morning
for Parsch near Salzburg, what a horrid name and Hella too doesn't like
saying it; I can't think how anyone can give a place such a nasty name.
They have rented a house.

July 12th. It's shockingly dull. Nearly every day I have a quarrel
with Dora because she's so conceited Oswald came home yesterday. He's
fearfully smart nearly as tall as Father only about a quarter head
shorter, but then Father's tremendously tall. And his voice is quite
deep, it was not before. And he has parted his hair on one side, it
suits him very well. He says his moustache is growing already but it
isn't; one could see it if it were; five hairs don't make a moustache.

July 19th. Thank goodness we're going at last the day after to-morrow.
Father wanted Mother to go away with us earlier, but she would not. It
would have been nicer if she had.

July 24th. Our house is only 3 doors away from the Hs. Ada and I spend
the whole day together. There happens to be a schoolfellow of Dora's
here, one she gets on with quite well, Rosa Tilofsky Oswald says that
Hainfeld bores him to death and that he shall get a friend to invite him
somewhere. Nothing will induce him to spend the whole holidays here.
His name for Ada is: "Country Simplicity." If he only knew how much she
knows. Rosa T. he calls a "Pimple Complex" because she has two or three
pimples. Oswald has some fault to find with every girl he comes across.
He says of Dora: She is a green frog, for she always looks so pale and
has cold hands, and he says of me: You can't say anything about her yet:
"_She_ is still nothing but an unripe embryo." Thank goodness I know
from the natural history lessons what an embryo is, a little frog; "I
got in a frightful wax and Father said: Don't you worry, he's still a
long way from being a man or he would be more polite to his sisters and
their lady friends." This annoyed him frightfully, and since then he
never says a word when Ada and Rosa are with us. My birthday is coming
soon, thank goodness I shall be 12 then, only 2 years more and I shall
be 14; I am so glad. Hella wrote to me to-day for the second time. In
August she is going to Hungary to stay with her uncle, he has a great
estate and she will learn to ride there.




SECOND YEAR, AGE TWELVE TO THIRTEEN


SECOND YEAR

August 1st. It was awfully jolly on my birthday. We drove to Glashutte
where it is lovely; there we cooked our own dinner in the inn for the
landlady was ill and so was the cook. On one's birthday everyone
is always so nice to one. What I like most of all is the Ebeseder
paint-box, and the book too. But I never have any time to read. Hella
sent me a lovely picture: Maternal Happiness, a dachshund with two
puppies, simply sweet. When I go home I shall hang it up near the door
over the bookcase. Ada gave me a silk purse which she had worked for me
herself. Aunt Dora gave me a diary, but I can't use it because I prefer
to write upon loose sheets. Grandfather and Grandmother at B. sent me a
great piece of marzipan, splendid. Ada thinks it lovely; she didn't know
marzipan before.

August 9th. When it's not holidays Ada goes to school in St. Polten
staying there with her aunt and uncle, because the school in H. is
not so good as the school in St. P. Perhaps next term she is coming to
Vienna, for she has finished with the middle school and has to go on
learning. But she has no near relations in Vienna where she could stay.
She might come to live with us, Dora could have a room to herself as
she always wants, and Ada and I could share a room. I would much rather
share a room with her than with Dora who is always making such a fuss.

August 10th. I do really think! A boy can always get what he wants.
Oswald is really going for a fortnight to Znaim to stay with his chum;
only Oswald of course. I should like to see what would happen if Dora
or I wanted to go anywhere. A boy has a fine time. It's the injustice of
the thing which makes me furious. For we know for certain that he's had
a _bad_ report, even though he does not tell us anything about it. But
of course that doesn't matter. They throw every 2 in our teeth and when
he gets several Satisfactories he can go wherever he likes. His chum
too; he only got to know Max Rozny this year and he's a chum already.
Hella and I have been chums since we were in the second in the
elementary school and Dora and Frieda Ertl since they went to the
High School. We both gave him a piece of our mind about friendship. He
laughed scornfully and said: That's all right, the friendships of _men_
become closer as the years pass, but the friendships of you girls go
up in smoke as soon as the first admirer turns up. What cheek. Whatever
happens Hella and I shall stick to one another till we're married, for
we want to be married on the same day. Naturally she will probably
get engaged before me but she _must_ wait for me before she's married.
That's simply her duty as a friend.

August 12th. Oswald went away yesterday and we had another scene just
before he left because he wanted one of us to go with him to the station
and help carry his luggage. As if we were his servants. Ada wanted
to volunteer to carry it, but Dora gave her a nudge and luckily she
understood directly. Sometimes, but only sometimes, when Dora gets in
a wax she is rather like Hella. She thinks it's better that Oswald has
gone away because otherwise there are always rows. That's because she
always comes off second-best. For really he is cleverer than she is. And
when he wants to make her really angry he says something to her in Latin
which she can't understand. I think that's the real reason why she's
learning Latin. I must say I would not bother myself so about a thing